New Homes
New Homes
Traditional favourites return to kitchen, bath and renovation show
Saturday and Sunday are the last two days of the Kitchen Bath & Renovation Show at the Winnipeg Convention Centre. The show runs today from 10 a.m. 9 p.m. and on Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. If Friday's crowds are any indication, this may be the most popular Kitchen & Bath Show in recent memory.
All of the traditional favourites have returned. The FloForm booth has become bigger and better. As the presenting sponsor, they have expanded their booth to include every possible example of quality countertop surface available.
President Ted Sherritt has secured Cambria spokesperson Cheryl Tiegs for this year's show. She will be in the FloForm booth today from noon to 2 p.m. At 2, Cheryl joins HGTV's Jim Caruk on the Winnipeg Free Press Lifestyle Stage. Jim will also be doing presentations Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 1 and 3 p.m.
There are a variety of popular returnees that make the show a success every year. Stalwart Appliances by Design, Krevco Lifestyles, Polar Ray O Max Windows, M Concept and Kitchen Craft present not only the products that have remained popular every year with Manitoba consumers but also to introduce their new lines for this year.
The Kitchen Bath & Renovation Show welcomes Norcraft Canada and Home and Renovation Masters, just two of the many new exhibitors at the show this year, while welcoming back Curtis Carpets. Every year, the Kitchen Bath & Renovation Show is able to balance the long-standing excellence of established participants with those coming in for the first time.
Manitoba Hydro will again be assisting consumers with energy saving techniques that are certain to save money. Their staff works very closely with the Ask A Renovator and Ask A Decorator experts to give you the best advice to make you Power Smart.
Tickets for the grand prize are being sold by volunteers from Variety the Children's Charity of Manitoba. For just a toonie, you can win the Ultimate Laundry Room valued at $9,000 and generously donated by Stalwart Appliances and FloForm.
The Kitchen Bath & Renovation Show is on all weekend, so don't miss your chance to see all of Manitoba's best suppliers located conveniently in one place.
Mike Moore is president of the Manitoba Home Builders' Association.
New Homes
CORRECTION
A new homes story published Jan. 9 said wrongly that the Oxbow on the Seine Condominiums are located on St. Mary’s Road. In fact, they are on St. Anne’s Road. As well, the project design has now changed to five storeys from four. For more information, go to www.OxbowCondos.com
New Homes
Big show will offer countless ideas, answers
There's plenty of drawing power for this year's Kitchen, Bath & Renovation Show, which takes place Jan. 22-24 at the Winnipeg Convention Centre. The show runs from noon to 9 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.
First, of course, are the exhibitors -- 100 booths to visit on the third floor. Whether you're in the design stage, looking to create more space, restoring a unique feature or committed to a full-scale renovation, everything you need is on display.
There are exhibitors that can help you with your kitchen, bathroom, basement, exterior, bedroom, attic and rec room. Experts are on hand to assist you with not only changing your home but also your lifestyle so you can enjoy your home more. Water and energy-efficiency information is abundant.
Of course, the Kitchen, Bath & Renovation Show has celebrities to present ideas and concepts to you and to answer your questions. Master contractor Jim Caruk will be there to talk about projects he's masterminded over the past 30 years and share stories from his highly rated HGTV shows Real Renos and Handyman Superstar Challenge. Jim will be on the Winnipeg Free Press Lifestyles Stage Saturday at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. and again on Sunday at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.
FloForm Countertops is this year's title sponsor of the show and it is proud to present Cambria spokeswoman Cheryl Tiegs. Although Cheryl may be best-known as a supermodel featured in Vogue, Glamour and Sports Illustrated, she's also a 'green living' advocate who is passionate about sustainability.
We urge everyone to meet Cheryl at the FloForm booth Friday from 6-7 p.m. and Saturday from noon-2 p.m. She will also join Jim Caruk on stage at 2 p.m. Saturday.
The final group of stars are the Manitoba Home Builders' Association RenoMark renovators who will be available for free consultations throughout the show. You can book a free 15-minute consultation by going online at www.kitchenandbathshow.com. Representatives of the Canadian Decorators' Association are also available for free 15-minute appointments by clicking on the same site.
So save yourself weeks or months of driving to dozens of locations to see what's available. It's all here under one roof at the Kitchen, Bath & Renovation Show.
Mike Moore is president of the Manitoba Home Builders' Association
New Homes
Kitchen, bath reno show a January highlight
It's January and that means it's time for the annual Kitchen and Bath Renovation Show running from Jan. 22 through the 24 at the Winnipeg Convention Centre.
This show has always kicked off the new year for home renovations, and Manitobans lead the nation in that department -- the only province where more money is spent on renovations than new-home construction on a consistent basis.
This past year, all of Canada jumped on the renovation bandwagon taking advantage of the Home Renovation Tax Credit. In that Winnipeg has the third-oldest housing stock in all of Canada, home renovations are a very big part of our lifestyle.
The Kitchen and Bath Renovation Show is unique in that it provides a free avenue for consumers to test the renovation market. The Ask A Renovator booth, presented by Manitoba Hydro, is staffed by three professional RenoMark renovators who provide free 15-minute consultations to answer your questions about a job you may be planning or just dreaming about.
To book an appointment, go online at www.kitchenandbathshow.com and choose an available time-slot. Whether the job is big or small, whether you're a do-it-yourselfer or looking for professional help, this is the perfect place to start.
The show also features an Ask A Decorator booth, and appointments with a representative of the Canadian Decorator's Association can be booked in the same way to discuss colours, décor, furnishings or whatever might be needed to make your home perfect.
This year, we're proud to feature Jim Caruk as a special guest speaker on the Winnipeg Free Press Lifestyle Stage. Jim is well-known throughout Canada and can be seen on HGTV's Handyman Superstar Challenge.
The Kitchen and Bath Renovation Show, presented by FloForm Countertops, opens on Friday, Jan. 22 at noon and continues until 5 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 24. The FloForm booth will feature supermodel and Cambria spokesperson Cheryl Tiegs, who will be making her first visit to Winnipeg.
So register right away for your free consultation with Manitoba's finest renovators and decorators at www.kitchenbathshow.com.
Mike Moore is president of the Manitoba Home Builders' Association.
New Homes
Single family home starts bouncing back
We reported last week resale home sales in Winnipeg for the month of November increased a whopping 42 per cent over the same month last year.
We also indicated the new-home market is heavily dependent upon used market sales to stimulate starts and the purchase of new homes. What we didn't know was whether that would be seen in new-home starts in November.
We are pleased to report single family detached home starts in Winnipeg in November increased 44.2 per cent in 2009 from 2008. The latest statistics from Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corp. indicate the single family detached segment of the new home market is in the process of rebounding from an early year slump.
Hopefully, it will also continue to reflect the close affiliation between used-home sales and new-home starts.
CMHC senior market analyst Jeff Powell commented the November surge, which followed a positive October, suggested the improving market for single family detached homes. Of course, let's also give credit to an unseasonably balmy November, which permitted elevated construction levels.
After having an essentially washed-out spring, it was definitely our turn to catch a break in the weather. Even though the temperature has dropped considerably this month, work is still proceeding at full pace.
The successful Fall Parade of Homes was also a significant contributor to the upswing in starts. Although most of the interest will be reflected in post-Parade sales and starts in the new year, there were a number of builders able to take advantage of the extended fall season.
Although the single family market is on the upswing, multi-family starts continue to lag behind last year's pace. This was projected a year ago and, although disconcerting, adjustments are being made accordingly.
A multi-unit project tends to be considerably larger in scale, whether it be an apartment building or a series of condominiums. Therefore, unless the builder is confident of a large percentage of pre-sold units, he would not venture into this type of new project.
There was also an inventory of units available from the 2008 construction season. Therefore, the demand was not as high in 2009.
Saying that, if the starts and sales trends continue to move in the current positive direction, consumers can anticipate an increase in multi-family starts sometime next year and into 2011. With the record low apartment vacancy rate in Winnipeg, this segment cannot stay dormant for too long.
Similarly, the condo lifestyle continues to increase in demand and there are a variety of projects throughout the city on the drawing board.
Given the economic hardships the entire country experienced in late 2008 and early 2009, new home start numbers will certainly show an overall decline when the final figures for the year become available in early January.
However, another positive month will certainly go a long way in re-establishing consumer confidence and the strength and resilience of the residential construction industry in Manitoba.
Mike Moore is president of the Manitoba Home Builders' Association